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Based on the city’s low cost of living, an increase in minimum wage would benefit residents more than in other major cities. Currently, the baseline living wage in the city is 16.6 percent below the proposed $15-an-hour wage.
The city has officially come out against the $10 billion proposed high-speed Maglev train to Washington, citing negative equity and environmental impacts. The trip between the two cities would cost riders $60 and take 15 minutes.
The Industrial Development and Export Authority approved as much as $1.5 million for seismic oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but the agency’s leases have been suspended by the Biden administration.
Dr. Kanika Turner, a physician in St. Louis, regarding the increased number of drug overdose deaths, specifically in Black communities, during the pandemic. In Missouri, Black men are now four times more likely to die of an overdose than a white person. (Associated Press — June 24, 2021)
The amount of America’s gross domestic product that is applied to infrastructure. In comparison, the European Union applies 5 percent towards infrastructure, and its 9 percent in China.
Without federal help, cities in the Northeast and Midwest face heavy cost burdens to upgrade aging roads, bridges and water systems. Younger municipalities in the South and West are beginning to have similar problems.
Road reformers want to demolish aging center-city freeways to make up for old racial harms. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it may be an effective argument.
As the coronavirus pandemic forced Americans outside, states are now investing some of their federal aid in updating park infrastructure to keep up with the record crowds.
A report from the state’s Oversight Committee has recommended that Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office conduct an investigation of individuals who pushed claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
The city has administered at least 188 engineering permits for equipping utility poles with 5G cell arrays. Officials hope that the 5G network will provide a fast and safe connection for residents.
The new open data portal will be accessible to the public, to increase transparency as the department continues to work towards police reform. Officials hope to develop a long-term public safety plan with the community.
India Walton, a progressive mayoral candidate in Buffalo, N.Y., who was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Walton took the lead over incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in Tuesday’s primary election and the Associated Press has called the race for Walton. Walton would be the first female mayor of Buffalo if she wins the general election in November. (NPR — June 23, 2021)
The number of workers at Houston Methodist hospital system who have quit or been fired from their job after they refused to meet the hospital’s vaccination mandate. Approximately 97 percent of the hospital system’s nearly 26,000 employees are fully vaccinated, with 2.4 percent having valid exemption or being granted a deferral.
Billions in federal aid give state and local governments the opportunity to leverage evidence-based approaches to help disproportionately impacted communities and address long-term systemic challenges.
A bipartisan group of senators proposed the gas tax should be indexed to inflation to help pay for new infrastructure spending, an approach Biden calls ‘regressive.’
Some New York legislators have proposed using federal infrastructure funds to revive the city’s streetcars, providing a nostalgic alternative to the bus. But transit advocates think the money should be used elsewhere.
The state will soon have a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant, which Commerce Director Brent Kisling hopes will better position the state to compete for $15 billion in future EV investments.
The bill would make funding changes to the Hawaii Tourism Authority and would eliminate the hotel tax distribution from individual counties. Gov. Ige is concerned the bill would detract from the state’s tourism and community focus.
Lt. Robert Salter, a supervising police detective in Newport, R.I., regarding the large amounts of personal data that law enforcement departments often collect from Big Tech companies, like Apple, Microsoft and Google. Police departments’ requests for user information, including phone calls, texts, emails, photos, browser histories and more, have tripled since 2015. (Associated Press — June 22, 2021)
The estimated number of U.S. gun sales that were prevented by the background check system last year, an all-time high and nearly twice as many as the year prior. Approximately 42 percent of the denials were due to a felony conviction on the buyers’ felony record.
In the public sector, customer service can easily devolve to “our way or the highway.” The head of the Arlington, Texas, planning department is transforming its service culture into a place where your “dream comes true.”
State and local leaders should prod Washington for the funding that can close the digital divide, protect utilities from cyber criminals, build smart cities and shape incentives for high-tech manufacturing.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledged police reform while campaigning for mayor, but two years later and the Chicago Police Department looks much as it did before she took office. Many are upset with the lack of change.
As the country still struggles with a mass worker shortage, some Ohio companies are trying to encourage workers to apply for positions with incentives that include pay increases, signing bonuses and flexible schedules.
The state upgraded its antiquated human resources management software, and when the project failed, Maine blamed the contracted company. But an investigation reveals the state is also at fault.
Many parts of the country still do not have access to high-speed Internet, despite requirements that forced schools and workplaces to operate remotely during the pandemic. Lawmakers are trying to fix that by getting homes connected.
"A lot of cities have come to realize that climate action and climate justice are one and the same."
Matt Gray, the senior vice president of programs at the Student Conservation Association, regarding the shift in focus toward environmental justice and how communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. (NPR — June 21, 2021)
The amount that 100 Ulster County, N.Y., residents are receiving each month for a year as a part of an experimental universal basic income program.
The idea has come up again and again, and now there’s a flurry of experimentation. But it never seems to take hold.
A new book makes a multi-generational examination of the origin stories of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin to understand how they were shaped and by whom – their mothers.
